


Hopeful Nightmare - Preview Chapter

by Unrenowned_Writer



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, I wanted to post a preview, I would love to hear feedback on this, This will just be an early draft of the opening chapter, Work In Progress, not the same impmon from tamers, subject to changes when I do the next draft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:41:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28761219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unrenowned_Writer/pseuds/Unrenowned_Writer
Summary: Stuck in a human world, hungry and with no clue how to get home, a small purple imp is running on fumes. Thankfully it stumbles upon a weird radio offering to help it out.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 1





	Hopeful Nightmare - Preview Chapter

Sharp eyes shined bright in the shadows. Motionless as they stayed trained on the raven haired man up at the cusp of daybreak. The eyes narrowed, tracking every step and waiting for an opportunity to strike. The creature stepped closer, fighting to restrain itself within the boarders of its shadowy hiding spot. Its mouth opened, unable to stop itself from drooling at the prospect of a meal. The thing crouched low and waited. It just needed the man to turn his back. A light breeze blew by and rattled a few crates. The man snapped his head up and began scanning his surroundings. With teeth bared, the thing took a begrudging step back. It needed to stay hidden in the shadows, cast by the mess of disorganized wooden boxes. The thing stayed silent as the man checked his surroundings. Ears pinned back and fur on end, the beast prepared to strike should the man find its hiding spot.

The man moved closer, peering into the boxes for something. He moved from one box to the next, looking for something. He inched closer to the creature’s hiding spot. Fur bristled and lips in a snarl, the hungry little creature prepared to fight. The man turned to the next crate only to stop when a voice from afar calls out.

A second man strolled up, carrying a large net on his shoulder. The first straightened up and greeted the other with a jovial tone, “Morning Tom! You look busy, those mangy fleabags giving you trouble?”

“Just the one. Horrid thing keeps giving me the slip.”

“It's just some no-good mutt, I'm sure you'll catch it.”

“Have you seen this thing though? This one ain't right.”

“No dog is right if you ask me. Ugly things begging for scraps, tearing up things. Horrible creatures.”

“This one isn't a normal dog. It's got purple fur and eyes like a cat. And I swear that thing has a spade on its tail.”

“You need to get your eyes checked Tom, you can't seriously believe-”

“I know what I saw, Paul! I've been catching stray dogs for over ten years! And this- _thing_ isn't like any dog I've ever seen. Showed up two weeks ago, back when that weird storm rolled in out of nowhere. And you notice how that crackpot hasn't come into town since then? Things aren't right I tell you.”

“Hey now, easy. I'll admit, the one time I saw that mutt I thought there was something wrong about it. Maybe it's one of the mad scientist's failed experiments that got out in that storm.”

“I don't care who's it is or where it came from. The thing ain't right, and so help me Lord when I catch it, it's going straight into the gas chamber.”

“Good man! Would just put a bullet in the back of the wretched mutt's head if it were me, but best of luck to you! Here, have an apple, ripe, sweet, and perfect for an early morning like this.”

“Thank ya kindly, Paul.”

Fur stood on end as eyes flicked between the two men. This was not good. Not good in the slightest. The creature pressed itself low to the ground to stop itself from violently shaking. Lips curled back to bare sharp teeth, the beast sunk deeper into the shadows. The pain in its empty stomach will have to wait.

The rounder raven haired man turned and looked over his stock before selecting one of the apples. He handed over the enticing fruit to the man with the net. While it sat in the shadows, coveting the morsel of food, its mouth watered. It so desperately wished to run out and take an armful of apple to scarf down. But that could only end in disaster.

The creature glanced down to its worn-out gloved hands, pressed firm into the concrete ground, yet still trembling. Was it from hunger? Fear? Both? It shut its eyes tight as it took in sharp breaths. It needed to stay calm, any slip up would only put it in a worse position.

It inched forward, eyes locked on the two, now chatting about some ruined flower contest. The dog catcher munched away on the gifted apple, and the creature couldn't help but sneer at the man. He taunted it without even knowing. Made worse by his lingering and needless chatting.

The man with the net eventually told the other he needed to leave, and the thing in the shadows couldn't be more thrilled. It watched with growing anticipation as the man turn completely and head off. As it watched and waited for the catcher to be far enough away, the creature tucked its limbs under itself to spring up at a moment's notice. It was so close to finally getting something to eat. Just a little more waiting...

Then a loud gurgling sound rumbled out in the near silent morning air.

The fruit vendor heard the sound and snapped his head to look directly at the stack of crates obscuring the thing. Blood turned to ice as the man approached. It took a few steps back, trying to sink further into the shadows, only for its foot to kick the stack of crates behind it. Toppling to the ground with a crash and clatter, the thing realized in that split second it had to make a move. Now.

The purple beast burst out of the shadows, dashing on all fours straight for the vendor. It veered out of the way of the man last second, going around him to the fruit stall. By the time the man could react, the thing had jumped up to the fruit and started taking huge bites out of the apples, going so far as to eat some smaller ones whole.

The man got back some of his senses and shouted out for the catcher. The thing took that as its cue to scram. Scooping up as many apples in its arms as it could, and with one in its mouth, the little devil jumped down and bolted.

“Paul, what in God's na-!?” The catcher shouted out as he rounded the street corner. The imp ran right passed him, standing upright to hold on to the stolen food the best. It didn't look back to see the man's expression, but it heard his panicked shouting clear as a bell, “LORD SAVE US! IT'S THE DEVIL!”

Sharp teeth sank deeper into the flesh of the apple when the imp heard that. It fought the urge to stop and throw a spell at the man, instead focusing on keeping its eyes forward and getting out of town. The imp leaned into its run and made a beeline for the edge of town.

Closer and closer the imp got to the edge of town, closer to the trees of the forest that lay just beyond, and further the voices shouting grew. All it had to do was get out of that wretched town and hide out in the forest. One building, then another, then it passed by the last building. Almost there. Just a bit more!

And then a loud bang rung out in the quiet morning air.

The imp let all the apples fall as an intense pain over took its right arm.

Two men shouting, chasing it with more explosive bangs accompanying them.

Teeth clenched tight and eyes pricked with pained tears, the imp continued to run for the trees. It left its prize on the ground. The greater concern was its own safety. It dropped to all fours once more and made a mad dash for the trees. In doing so, it made itself smaller and able to run faster, taking larger bounds to get to the safety of the forest.

Pain surged through its arm. Blood dripped freely down its violet fur and splattering on the tall grass that flicked it as it ran by. The imp painted a path in red on the dry yellow blade leading straight for the trees' edge. All of that the imp had to ignore, otherwise it was certain things would end up much worse.

Even after it got under the canopy of the forest, the imp kept running. It could hear the men still shouting. It chanced a glance back at the two, and while there was a suitable distance between it and them, it was easy to make out they haven't given up the chase.

Its teeth clenched hard enough that the pain in its jaw gave served as a distraction to the pain in its arm. It had to think of something. Sovereigns know how long those two will chase after the imp. It could scare them, or try to. Something to get them to back off. But could it successfully pull that off?

The imp took a sharp turn and leaned against a tree for a moment. It heaved out heavy breaths and stood up to grab at its upper arm. Taking its hand away from the wound a moment later, it looked over its palm. The red of the blood was a little difficult to distinguish from the red fabric of its gloves, but it was there. The heavy smell of copper was proof of that.

It choked down its nerves before reaching up to untie the short scarf around its neck. The imp didn't much like the knot of it being at its inner arm, but trying to slide the scarf would only cause unnecessary pain and potential damage. Once on tight, the imp peeked out to see if the men were still there. They were indeed still pursuing it, having gotten to the place where the imp got shot.

It couldn't make out all of what the two said to one another. But the curses of “You rotten devil!” and “You better hope we don't find you!” were easy to make out. The imp flexed its fingers, wanting nothing else than to summon a spell to throw it at the men. But it couldn't, or rather shouldn't. It needed to be smart about things and not waste energy. But at the same time, the imp needed them to go away.

Sharp breaths quickly filled and exited the little imp's chest. It swallowed a breath as it brought up a hand to grab and scratch at its chest as an attempt to comfort itself in a small manner. But that did little to calm itself. It couldn't stay still, just behind a tree. Those men would catch up soon. Taking in a deep breath, it dropped back to the ground and took off once more, this time going diagonally to the right and towards the bushes and foliage. It hoped that the turn in direction and plant-life would stop the two from getting anymore clear shots in.

How far would these two chase it? Surely they would stop at some point, right? Were they really going to spend all morning, or worse all day, chasing the little thing? Over stealing some apples?

Its train of thought came to a sudden halt as its hands landed on ground with much more give than expected, causing the imp to fall face first into the spongy moss covered earth. With the momentum it had, the rest of its body came up and sent the imp into a roll. A roll that got it to go over a small edge.

It got up as quick as it could and pressed itself into the small natural alcove. It needed to get its thoughts back on track. But first it had an ear out to hear for the two. Hand over its mouth, it closed its eyes and tried to pinpoint their voices. The imp could hear the chirps of bugs and birds, the wind picking up and shaking the leaves, and its own heart beating deafeningly loud in its chest. But behind it all, it thought it heard the voices of the two men. But one sound it was certain of was the gunshot.

“I know you're out there, you vile hellhound! You best stay out of our town! Cause if me or Tom ever see you again, we'll skin you alive and send you back to the devil in pieces!”

The imp didn't respond, lest it give its location away and start the hunt all over again. It just pressed itself as far as it could into the earthy alcove, getting the muddy clumps into the fur on its back. It stayed there for what felt like an eternity, but the actual time it spent there the creature didn’t know. Maybe it was minutes, maybe several hours. But it didn't budge from that spot until it heard the drops of rain falling on the canopy.

It's muscles relaxed, and as soon as there was any slack, the imp slid down to sit on the forest floor. Ragged breaths sucked in by the little devil, it exhaled twice as shakily. Limbs trembled as it tried to collect its thoughts.

That town was a bust. No doubt about that. Not like that was the first time getting run out of town, but a first for getting run out by humans. Also, a first for getting shot. What an exciting day of firsts.

The imp groaned and hissed in another trembling breath as it brought its hands up to cover its face. What the hell does it do now? Try to find another town to lurk around in? Hang around here and try to set up a place to stay? No. Definitely not that one. Not with those jerks being so close by. If does set up somewhere to stay in this sovereigns-forsaken world of humans, it won't be so close to **that** human town.

The imp took in a few shorter breaths, steadying them. Once it got itself at least somewhat calmer, the imp pushed itself back to its feet. Staying here for too long didn't seem like a wise idea. It listened closely to the surrounding sounds, double checking that the men had gone. All it heard was the rain hitting the leaves and the odd chirp of something, but that was it. It nodded to itself and walked.

Its direction was almost aimless. Though, any direction that lead away from the town was enough for it. And there was a decent amount of day left, so it could wander for a long time if it wanted. That is, if the rain hadn't picked up.

It started with a light drizzle, but very soon into the imp's journey the rain began falling harder and harder. The few drops that the forest canopy originally could deflect and keep from reaching the ground; now threw themselves down as hard as they could, determined to turn the dirt into swampy mud.

The imp raked its gloved fingers through the fur on its head as it weighted its options. One is to stay put somewhere dry and wait out the rain. The other is to press on and hope to find food. It looked around, seeing which of the two options would be better to pursue when the growling of its stomach decided for it.

The imp grit its teeth and kept its eyes and ears alert as it continued on. There had to be something to eat in this forest. That was the imp's thought, at least.

It trudged through the mud for a long while, getting mixed up once or twice and accidentally ending up back at the alcove. Fur soaked and mud up to its knees, the imp growled in growing frustration and picked a new direction. This time it left from the alcove.

On the imp's third attempt of traveling away, it came across a gap in the forest. It hurried closer and saw that there was a sort of cut through the forest plant-life, made by a worn and currently muddy dirt road. A spark of hope lit up in the imp. Roads meant people, and people meant food. It glanced to its left, noting that direction would lead into the town it just ran out of. So, the imp picked right.

The imp started down the road, first taking a brisk stroll for a pace. Then a loud clap of thunder rolled by and the heavy rain seemed to intensify. Violet fur drenched and hanging off the small imp, it took in a deep breath and slicked back the fur on its face. It had quite enough of the rain at that point and dropped to all fours to speed off down the road.

Thunder clapped a few more times on its run. One time the lightning struck close enough to the imp that it could see the sky light up. The thunder that rolled by shortly after that one was deafening.

It was a short time later that the imp spotted something up the road. Some sort of building. The imp picked up its pace, not caring in that moment that it kicked up more mud onto itself in doing so. The prospect of food and shelter from the rain were its primary concerns, and it would gladly put up with muddy, matted fur in order to get those things. It can always find a body of water and clean off later.

The closer to the building the imp got, the more it could make out. There was a lone sign the furthest out, and the imp paused a brief time to look at it. It didn't know what it expected though; the writing on the sign was in the human's script, making it impossible for the imp to read.

The violet devil shrugged off the sign and pressed on to the building. It took a more cautious speed as it approached the building. It pushed aside the tall wild grass, getting closer and taking in more details of the building. The building looked to be a three-story house. There was a door with a few steps leading up to it and left of it a window with curtains pulled open. The second floor only had one window facing out to the front and was off to the right. While the highest window was a large circular and sat right under the point of the roof.

The imp reached the fence where another sign hung, this one written using different symbols. It stood at the edge of the cobblestone path leading up to the door and looked around. There wasn't much of a yard and the house looked rundown and in need of attention. First place to start should probably be those beams holding up the house, in the imp's opinion at least. Who knew how humans did their constructions. None of them have wings, and yet here's a house on stilts built hanging off a cliff.

The imp sniffed the air, and while there was a lingering trace of human, the scent seemed old. That gave the imp confidence to walk up to the door. The cliff narrowed to a worrisome degree the closer to the stairs it got. Its padded feet tensed and gripped the cobblestone, desperate to not slip during the ongoing downpour. The little devil held tight to the handrail and ascended the few steps up to the door. It thought of peaking in through the window to check the inside, but it didn't have the nerve to lean over and check.

Taking in a deep breath, the imp steeled itself and reached for the doorknob. It opened with no resistance, swinging open to a dark and empty house. Smells of dust and mildew assaulted the imp's nose, followed by a subtle scent of decay and human. The house was dark but at least dry; and wishing to be out of the chilly rain, the imp stepped inside.

A puddle formed at its feet as it stood just passed the threshold. The smell didn't exactly get any better now that it was inside, but the imp could tolerate it. It actually sniffed a second time to make sure the scent of human was old and unlikely to be around. Once sure to itself that it was the only thing in the building, it explored the layout in search for food.

The imp went room by room of the first floor. The first room the imp looked into was full of couches and chairs, with papers and dishes scattered over any flat surface. That one smelled the strongest of decay. The imp could see from the plates that the food left on them had sat there awhile. Poor food left to spoil such a shame.

After peeking into that room, the imp moved on, finding a bathroom with red capped mushrooms growing in the corners. It promptly closed the door and went to the next door. That one was a closet with some coats smelling of mothballs. After that the imp found a dining table sectioned off to its own room. On the far wall was a second door, that lead into the room the imp was searching for, the kitchen.

The imp noted the stack of dishes in the sink which judging by the smell were still dirty. Who ever lived here put little time into up keeping the house. The imp let them be for the time and started raiding the cabinets. It searched for anything that looked remotely edible, which wasn't much. The most it found were three unopened cans of some liquid, and a container of stale chocolate crackers with cream sandwiched between two.

The imp took off a glove and punctured the thin metal on the top of the can with its claw. The liquid inside smelled of wonderful to the imp's empty stomach. It downed the cold soup in seconds, moving to the next right after, and then the next, and then the imp scarfed down the stale cookies. The little food it found vanished in under a minute, and its stomach was happier for it.

A crack of thunder roared out, so strong and close that it shock the house the slightest bit. The imp frowned and reconsidered if it should stay the night in this rickety house. It got some food out of this, so it's not like this was a complete bust.

The imp stepped out of the kitchen back into the hallway when a new sound caught its ear. Music. Its fur bristled, still too damp to stand on end. It crouched some with teeth bared as its ears stood tall to pinpoint the sound.

The music came from upstairs. The song was bouncy. Jovial and inviting. There weren't any lyrics that the imp could make out from the lower floor, but it could feel like the song was almost calling out. Strange, but that was the only way it could think to describe the music. And with caution the imp climbed the stairs to the second floor to sate its curiosity. Perhaps the lightning jolted some music player to life during this storm.

After reaching the second floor, the imp could still hear the music playing above. It checked for where the song played loudest. the imp followed its ears and found itself in the middle of the upstairs hallway. The music was the clearest it’s been, yet there was nothing around the imp. Still hearing the music above its head, the imp glanced up and found a door on the ceiling. The small hatch door had a string hanging from it, and the imp took notice that someone made the string longer by tieing on a second string. Even with the extension, however, it was still several feet above the imp's head.

The imp paused, thinking if it’s wise to climb up there. In the time it stood thinking on a decision the song played on. It was a very bouncy song. There were horns, an upbeat piano, and a woodwind in there. The imp thought it was nice enough, but repeated itself rather quickly. If it left the song playing long enough, said music would drive the imp up a wall.

Yeah, no. If it is going to wait out the storm here, then that song has to stop. The imp moved around some end tables in the hallway to be under the hatch. It stacked three into a small pyramid and scaled to the top. Once at the top of a less than secure structure, the imp yanked on the cord and opened the hatch to the attic.

The imp poked its head into the room and immediately found itself in the corner, wedged between a table and some large metal construct. It pulled itself up into the room and squeezed through the small gap to get to the center of the small room. The imp looked around, seeing various things lining the walls in what seemed to be a home lab or workshop of sorts. But what caught the imp's eye was the radio sitting on a table blasting that same bouncy song that was quickly becoming bothersome.

The imp took a step up closer, determined to turn off that radio. But it couldn't even take a second step before the music abruptly cut out.

“Say pal, what brings someone like you all the way out to a lonely place like this?”

The imp's eyes dart around the room, searching for a speaker that it somehow missed, but no one was there. It even double and triple checked the room, but there was no one. There were a few narrow bookshelves stuffed with books, the odd workbench with flasks, vials, and papers scattered about, a chair and table, and a stove; but no people.

The imp couldn't even pick up on a scent trace of someone recently being in the room. It was just as musty and dust-filled as the rest of the house, with a touch of copper mixed in.

“Over here, the radio.”

The voice got the imp's attention back and gave it a point to focus on. The radio sat on the table next to the fancy red armchair. It blinked a few times at the device and stayed quiet, narrowing its eyes at the thing with a slight tilt of its head.

“Not much of a talker?” The voice asked. The tone of it was plummy and deep, if a bit solemn sounding. “That's fine. Can't imagine you've had an easy time out there. Soaking wet, covered in grime and mud, scarfing down what few scraps of food are left in the house.”

The imp's fur stood on end at that comment. It crouched some as its lips curled back into a snarl. “How the fuck-”

“Watch your language there, pal. Those kinds of things shouldn't be said in polite company.”

“I'll keep that in mind when I can be bothered to give a shit.”

The imp's reply earned it a small chuckle from the voice on the radio, something that caught the imp off guard.

“Bit of a spitfire, aren't you?”

Snapping back to its senses, the devil growled at the radio. “I'll spit more than fire if yous don't start answering my questions.” The small imp then flicked its fingers against the thumb of each hand to summon two orbs. One a small magenta flame, while in the other hand the imp held a small indigo ball of frost.

“Easy there, pal. No need for that.”

The voice's tone didn't waver in the slightest at the imp's attempt at a threat. That stung more than the imp cared to admit, but it wouldn't let that show. And even if the voice still had that smug calmness to it, at least the imp felt a bit more comfortable with an attack at the ready.

“I'll answer your questions,” the voice continued, “within reason of course. Starting with how I knew what you've been up to; I've been able to see you ever since you stepped inside.”

“This yer house than?”

“Not at all. I would never let my home get so filthy and cluttered. No, I'm simply watching over the place for a friend.”

The imp huffed at the voice's last part of the answer. It sneered some more at the radio before it eased up, relaxing both its expression and its arms. It wouldn't dispel its magic just yet, but it didn't feel the need to keep its guard up quiet so high.

“And where is this... _friend_ of yours? And where are yous for that matter? I don't smell any humans bein' here recently.”

“Well, truthfully, I am rather far away from there, hence why I'm speaking to you over the radio. And as for my _friend_ , he's out following his dream pursuing all manner of scientific discoveries.”

“Lucky him,” was all the imp could think to say. There was a brief silence hanging in the room, and in that time the imp dispelled its magic. Better to save it if there wasn't actually anyone else in the house.

“What about you?”

The imp's ear twitched, and its face scrunched back up to scrutinize the radio. “What _about_ me?”

“Do you have any wants or desires? Surely this isn't your ideal lifestyle. Breaking into other people's homes, raiding the place for meager scraps of food, covered in muck. Such a sorry state you've been forced into while no doubt running from others. Even getting shot as you fled.”

“H-how? …Oh, what do yous even care!? Like yous can do anything about it!”

The imp's building irritation tamped down some by what the voice said next. “But that's where you're wrong.” The imp felt frozen at the words, curious and wanting to hear more. “I can very much do something to help you out. I just need a small favor done. See that switch over there?”

The imp looked over behind it to the enormous machine. The thing almost covered an entire wall. It took a half step closer, examining sleeping machine. The thing was large and given the amount of wood and metal covering the thing; it surprised the imp the machine hadn't crashed down into the lower floors of the house. Gears, wires, and the odd dial or two littered the machine with little rhyme or reason that the imp could discern. But on the machine was in fact a lever, as the radio voice said.

“Pull that switch. Then I'll be able to help you out.”

The imp stepped closer, eyes narrowing on the lever. There was a weird energy to the air the closer to the machine the imp got. An energy that wasn't completely foreign to it. It remembered that sort of energy from when it ended up finding itself no longer in its home world, instead in one full of humans. If this thing is giving off a similar energy, maybe there's some truth to what the voice was saying.

“Yous 'll be able to get me out of this human world?”

“Absolutely. Just pull the switch and you won't have to deal with this pesky human world anymore.”

The imp nodded and got right up to the machine. As it focused on the switch, a bright flash of light lit up the entire room, followed almost instantly by a roar that shook the house. The imp raised its arms to keep balance. Its heart beat hard in its chest, only to sink as it heard the boards of the house creak.

It couldn’t waste any more time in this wreck of a house. The imp jumped up and grabbed onto the lever, forcing it down with its weight. Once the imp's clawed toes touched back down to the creaking wooden floor, an energy permeated the air. The energy had a weight to it, a dark heaviness that seeped into every corner of the room. It was not unlike the force the imp felt when it ended up in the human world, only this time the force surged to the nth degree.

The machine whirred and clunk. Pieces on it moved and spun as it sprang to life. Parts clicked into place and once all set, the machine resembled a face. The imp's fur bristled as it looked into the eyes of the machine. They looked eager for something, but the imp couldn't...

Something grabbed the imp's ankle. Instantly the little imp kicked its leg to get the thing off and looked down to find a shadowed formed into a hand clenched around the imp. It struggled against the hold, but the shadows pooled at its feet, more tendrils coming up to form hands.

The imp cursed and fought to break free from the shadows. It jerked its arm away from the hands, only for two more to snatch its other arm. They must have dug their nails or claws or something into the imp's arm, because a horrid stinging pain surged through its arm where the shadow held it.

The imp, desperate to break out, took a step. Then another one. The shadows held tight, but the imp could do it. It could get out. It saw two more hands reach up in front of it and grab its head before pushing the imp down. Down lower and lower. To the floor. Then somehow below the wooden floor. They pushed down until the only thing around the imp was darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. I'm still working on the rough draft for the rest of the first arc for the story. It likely won't be done for a pretty long while, since I want to get more practice in redrafting and editing. But in the mean time I wanted to get this posted and see if anyone was interested. Love to hear from you dear readers!


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